Young tennis squads playing well in Jamaica

Sydney Clarke and Jacobi Bain (pictured) are representing The Bahamas’ girls and boys teams at the ITF/GSDF English- Caribbean Wilson 12-and-Under COTECC Team Championship, in Kingston, Jamaica. The girls team of Clarke and Elana Mackey are currently undefeated, while the boys team of Bain and Donte Armbrister have just one loss.

Sydney Clarke (pictured) and Jacobi Bain are representing The Bahamas’ girls and boys teams at the ITF/GSDF English- Caribbean Wilson 12-and-Under COTECC Team Championship, in Kingston, Jamaica. The girls team of Clarke and Elana Mackey are currently undefeated, while the boys team of Bain and Donte Armbrister have just one loss.

The Bahamas moved into Day Three of competition of the ITF/GSDF English-Caribbean Wilson 12-and-Under Central America and the Caribbean Tennis Confederation (COTECC) Team Championship with a perfect win/loss record in the girls division and one loss in the boys.

The team of Sydney Clarke and Elana Mackey pulled off a 3-0 win over Guyana yesterday, while Jacobi Bain and Donte Armbrister defeated Suriname 3-0. The quartet is playing at the inaugural International Tennis Federation (ITF)/Grand Slam Development Fund (GSDF) tournament of that kind, in Kingston, Jamaica.

As of now, The Bahamas is the top team in the girls division and captain Larikah Russell believes that they can win the overall tournament and qualify for the Masters Event, where the top three teams in the English-speaking Caribbean and Central American region will compete. The boys team is also in a position to place in the top three.

“The team is playing phenomenal tennis. They are really getting more comfortable and confident as the tournament progresses,” said Russell. “The girls are undefeated so far going into the semi-finals and the boys only lost one tie, but they also will be going into the semi-finals after beating Suriname today.

“I am extremely proud with the team’s efforts, and I must admit that they are playing really hard and competing very well. The aim of the team is to win this tournament and move on to the Masters Event, which will be held in Mexico. If they keep playing hard and competing like they are doing now, they will be well on their way.”

In yesterday’s action against Suriname, Bain got a win over Serge Calor, 6-3 and 6-0, while Armbrister played Abiel Cheung, winning 6-1 and 6-2. The doubles the team won, 6-0 and 6-4. The girls played Guyana and won 3-0. Clarke defeated Kaylca Fraser, 4-6, 6-4 and 10-8, Mackey’s win was over Africa Gentle, 6-0 and 6-1, and the doubles team of Clarke and Mackey won, 6-7(4), 6-4 and 10-8.